The skin possesses the largest surface area in the body and serves as the protective layer for internal organs. It is a major target of oxidative stress and is designed to give both physical and biochemical protection and is equipped with a large number of defense mechanisms. The skin structure is quite complex comprising several layers, each of which plays a specific role and carries out different functions.
It is generally known that the deficiency of the appropriate skin care may lead to various skin problems, which may include accelerated skin aging, skin disorders and diseases. Relevant studies have reported that one of the primary contributors to such common skin problems is reactive oxygen species. Accordingly, high occurrence of potential biological components may cause oxidative damage of skin, as it is very susceptible to such reactions. It is also discovered that the aging of the skin occurs when collagen becomes hard and gets meshed with neighboring collagen fibers. As a result, the collagen is prevented from holding water and plumping up, which therefore gradually leads to reduced elasticity. Such condition may also lead to the skin becoming dehydrated and thus the underlying fat padding would disappear over a period of time.
Apart from the above, studies have also revealed that ultraviolet radiation exposure results in a number of changes in the skin including wrinkling, laxity, uneven pigmentation, brown spots, leathery appearance in addition to degradation of skin collagen and alteration of connective tissue.
With the loss of underlying support by fat padding and connective tissues, the skin begins to sag; it appears less supple and wrinkles form. Although wrinkles, fine lines and age spots are formed by the natural effects of getting older, one way to prevent them from appearing early on in life is to avoid direct sunlight.
Additionally, excessive exposure to sunlight also contributes to the production of free radicals. Basically, free radicals are created naturally during various metabolic processes in the cell whereby they are rendered inactive by antioxidants, as long as there are adequate amounts of antioxidants within our body to handle the free radicals produced in the body. However, there are circumstances where the body may not be able to produce enough antioxidants on its own to neutralize all the free radicals that are produced, resulting to cell damage and thus skin aging. Therefore the use of synthetic antioxidants and/or natural antioxidants as daily supplements is vital in this regard. Antioxidants can be obtained from our daily diet and in addition are often consumed as supplements.
Prior methods to prevent skin-aging included mixing of nutrient additive, anti-inflammation agent into cosmetic compounds. US20040241254 suggests cosmetic formulations containing Palm oil to treat age related skin problems. Many natural substances rich in antioxidants have been found to play a role in the prevention of skin aging. Also, the use of natural plant extracts having antioxidant properties instead of synthetic antioxidants is now gaining momentum.
According to the present invention, extracts derived from the vegetation liquor of oil palm have properties that promote skin health and slow down aging of the skin.
The major constituents in the oil palm vegetation liquor extract are phenolics, fruit acids, fruit sugars and glycerol. The said phenolic compounds possess antioxidant properties that help minimize damage caused by free radicals in the body resulting from metabolic processes or from environmental exposures. Skin elasticity decreases because of the action of elastase, an enzyme that decomposes elastin. The inhibition of elastase thus delays skin sagging. Collagen and hyaluronic acid also affect elasticity, moisture retaining property and softness of skin. Collagen which constitutes about 90% of dermis of skin is distributed all over the dermis to give appropriate elasticity and strength to the skin. Hyaluronic acid is widely distributed over the skin, ligament, and the like, and contributes in skin to cell adhesion, cell protection, formation of skin tissues, retention of tissue moisture, and maintenance of softness. Collagen and hyaluronic acid are decomposed in vivo by collagenase and hyaluronidase, respectively leading to moisture loss, wrinkles and sagging. Inhibition of collagenase and hyaluronidase would therefore also improve skin chemistry and delay aging of skin.
The said phenolic compounds in oil palm vegetation liquor extract significantly inhibit elastase activity. The vegetation liquor extract also possesses inhibitory action against collagenase and hyaluronidase activity. In addition the extract possesses anti-tyrosinase activity which is implicated in skin whitening.
It is therefore the primary object of the present invention to provide a composition based on phenolic compounds obtained from oil palm vegetation liquor, said composition contributes significantly in improving skin health and thus alleviating skin problems.